The Lion King is the live-action Disney movie we didn’t need, but it had some bright spots

The live-action The Lion King remake is officially here and already breaking records at the box office. But did we really need this remake from Disney?

Growing up, I was obsessed with the animated version of The Lion King. Beyond the fact that the story was all about growing up, being a leader, and finding a way to accept our past and our mistakes, this movie was filled with adorable animals and plenty of humor. There was something magical about the animated film that feels virtually impossible to capture again.

And when it comes toThe Lion King live-action remake, it feels like the kind of movie Disney really didn’t need to make at all. I might be in the minority when it comes to my lack of love for this reboot, since it’s clear that it’s winning at the box office, which is definitely great news for Disney. But while I may not have loved this film the way I did the original, there were some bright spots that I wish Disney would capitalize on.

Obviously, this is just my personal take on the movie, but it felt like they lost some of what made the original special by going from animated lions and hyenas to the live-action versions of these animals. It almost felt more gruesome, sitting in a theater with children and hearing their gasps and innocent comments (one tiny one voiced “he was just hiding” and made me smile). And while I understand that nature is more gruesome in general — and that life can be vicious — this is still a children’s movie. It didn’t need to be that way.

However, just because I didn’t love all of the movie, that doesn’t mean there were not parts I enjoyed. In fact, I give a lot of credit to John Oliver’s Zazu, Seth Rogen’s Pumbaa, and Billy Eichner’s Timon for being truly brilliant. They were funny when we needed them to be and serious when the tone needed to shift. They were the spark that made the live-action Lion King pop.

I would love to see these three characters come together in their own movie just to hear them playing off of each other again. And considering how serious Zazu can be, he feels like the perfect foil to Timon and Pumbaa. I’ve seen social media comments asking for a buddy-cop-style movie with Pumbaa and Timon, which sounds like a great idea. But I think if you threw in Zazu as the one watching over them, you’d get movie gold.

And it was not just Timon, Pumbaa, and Zazu who were beacons of light in this film. Hearing James Earl Jones as Mufasa again brought tears to my eyes. He will forever be the voice of Mufasa, and having him return to once again give life to this character was truly amazing. It felt like I was a kid again, hearing Jones voicing the original king of Pride Rock.

Still, while I wanted to love the live-action Lion King film, it felt like there was some magic missing. Thankfully, there were still plenty of songs to sing along to (which I totally did without any care for the packed theater I was sitting in) and the bright spots in the movie. Otherwise, I might have been sad for what could have been.

Even though I wanted more from this movie, I also have to give a lot of credit to the actors voicing these characters. They all did amazing jobs, and it really felt like they cared about getting it right when it came to giving each of these characters a lot of personality.

Have you seen the live-action The Lion King yet? What did you think of this remake? Is there anything you wish was different? Tell us what you thought in the comments.